As an admirer of Oriental culture and classic bicycles, I take great pleasure in offering my viewers this typical Shanghai street scene. Well, perhaps not so typical. In fact, it was a work in progress for the 35th Annual Pirelli Calendar which, for the first time, was shot in China. I've written about the Pirelli calendar before (the 2007 Edition included Sophia Loren, still sexy at 71), explaining its exclusivity and museum quality: You can't buy one; they're given away in limited quantities, mostly to the international rich and famous along with a few lucky automobile journalists.

Pirelli explains the 2008 calendar this way: "It is set entirely in Shanghai: the picturesque streets of the old French Concession, the splendid gardens of the former British legation, the mysterious and sensual atmosphere of forbidden China, the convulsive Nanjing Road and the characteristic tea houses constitute the background for the camera shots that will grace the coming months. The 23 intense portraits (two for each month; August has just one) recount the pomp of ancient China, with its splendor and the colors in which the Oriental myth of female beauty - perfection, purity, grace - is searched out." Patrick Demarchelier, who photographed the Calendar for the second time (his first was shot in 2005 in Brazil) said: "The casting was a fascinating mix between the West and the Orient: an interesting group of faces."

If ever one needed proof of the rapid expansion of the Chinese auto market, this is it. The official unveiling of the new Calendar occurs just a few days after the opening of the second Pirelli tire plant in the Shandong Province. Again quoting Pirelli: " 'The Cal,' which has always been an artistic synthesis bringing together innovation, respect for values, and tradition, also expresses Pirelli's capacity to adapt to and integrate different cultures while at the same time affirming the qualities and the glamor of what being Italian is all about." Or to put it another way, sex sells tires.